15 June 2011

Currently pushing:The End Starts Today (TEST). Introducing Ameer's new music blog! Inspired by the many music blogs he frequents, Ameer decided to jump in the game and share some tracks that he's been hoarding from the world. I'm gonna guest post over there from time to time, when I can find the right Yanni remix to show off. Get over to TEST and start following!

I spent my afternoon at a music party. Ameer told me that I would love this particular party and when I got to the door, I was skeptical because I had to give them my Facebook login. Normally I won't let any apps access my FB info, but I put my trust in Ameer and let them check my ID and then I was in.

Once inside, it was a dream come true. A big dance floor for fans and five DJs on the stage. This was a B.Y.O.L. (L is for "laptop") to the party party! Turntable.fm was just released in alpha and invites are still being distributed but after spending a good three hours hanging out in our own room, I can say that the idea is gold. Here's an interesting article talking about the social experience of the site and its potential.

Basically how the site works is you go in and step up to the DJ deck to play a song of your choice. You can search for songs in their library or upload your own songs. It sounds super simple but the thrill of having all your friends in one room listening to music in rotation is pretty amazing. I detest most clubs anyway and only want to hear certain songs so all things being equal, if I could just get all my friends onto Turntable.fm, we'd never have to go out again! Everyone can just dance in the comfort and safety of their rooms.

For our afternoon get together, we started with just three of us but by the end of the session, we had about a dozen people in our room, most of them strangers. Our Jason Mraz listening siesta had transitioned to the Kooks and then some Spanish speakers dropped in -- no doubt attracted by our "Carne Asada" room name -- and turned everything into a mini-Ibiza. We left after awhile because Turntable.fm had completely wrecked our mid-day productivity. It's that addicting. You can also select "Awesome" or "Lame" for each track that's being played and if you think it's "awesome," your avatar will bop their little head along. It's kind of a great feature. Now I just need some more dance moves for my little guy.

Also changing my life right now, Ameer gave me Peel(video) to use and it's made discovering new music even easier. He follows a bajillion music blogs while I've pared my list down to an easy handful, but I may be kicking that number up as Peel is basically iTunes for music blogs. Downloading new tracks used to be a two step process -- I used a Firefox plug in -- but Peel makes it so super easy. I can't believe 2.0 has been out since 2009 and we're just getting on it now. Here's a great idea: get Peel and then subscribe to The End Starts Today!

Contact

I'm available for television appearances, library talks, relationship advice, general counseling, and all-expenses paid trips to Morocco. If you have questions, concerns, or rants, you can reach me at digitaljon(at)gmail.com